It's incredible to imagine nearly 20 years have passed since the last time the San Francisco 49ers even reached the Super Bowl. Now head coach Jim Harbaugh seeks to return the franchise to its former glory in just his second year on the job.

San Francisco established itself as a dominant force in the NFC before the proliferation of free agency, reaching the conference title game 10 times between 1981 and 1994. The five Super Bowls won in this span makes them second all-time behind the Pittsburgh Steelers' six.

Below is a quick rundown of each Super Bowl appearance by the San Francisco 49ers followed by each time the franchise fell just short in the conference title.

Super Bowl appearances (by year of regular season):

1994: 49-26 win vs. Chargers

1989: 55-10 win vs. Broncos

1988: 20-16 win vs. Bengals

1984: 38-16 win vs. Dolphins

1981: 26-21 win vs. Bengals

Harbaugh has some mighty big shoes to fill. The Niners' golden years feature three Lombardi trophies under Bill Walsh and two under George Seifert, all adding up to an incredible 5-0 Super Bowl record.